Western Howard County

With several ponds nearby and fire alarms in their homes, the residents of the Woodmark neighborhood in rural western Howard County never worried much about fire protection - until they met Jeffrey Hull. Hull, a firefighter in Washington and a Woodmark resident, knew that the nearest hydrant was four miles away. With money from the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services and help from his neighborhood association and a corporate donor, Hull got his community a dry hydrant - a nonpressurized metal spigot that enables firefighters to quickly draw water from a pond.

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Monday. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Softball The Western Howard County Fever 2K took second place in the 12U division of the North Carroll Hotshots Early Bird invitational April 13-14. The team went 2-1 in pool play, then defeated the Crofton Rebels and the Littlestown Thunder, 13-1 and 13-4, in the elimination round.

The names are written neatly in blue ink, tucked inside the cover of a diary. They form a simple list, recording the names of children and the date their brief lives ended:Jennifer, 1992. Scott, June 6, 1982. Matthew, October 1973. Ryan, Aug. 11, 1994. Twice, the families of these and other children have gathered at a small, white chapel in Western Howard County, seeking solace, healing and the words of parents coping with the same loss.They will come together again today as St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church holds its third memorial Mass for parents who have lost a child.

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman probably never expected the first veto of his six years in office to involve a land use bill, particularly one that he was compelled to seek by state law. But that's what happened, and between now and Monday it's up to his administration to pick up the pieces of what should have been a no-brainer - a local ordinance to preserve farmland and open space in the western end of the county. First, a bit of history. Remember concern over septic systems and the health of the Chesapeake Bay?

Mike Mullinix and his brothers say they didn't think they were doing anything revolutionary when they started leasing a small section of their western Howard County farm to a landscaper nearly 20 years ago. The fate of that exercise in diversification could set a precedent by redefining "agriculture" for hundreds of farmers across the state. What began as a zoning violation has turned into an angry debate about how owners ought to use farm land that has been stripped of its development rights.

By Robert Nusgart and Robert Nusgart,SUN REAL ESTATE EDITOR | July 14, 2002

David Forester seems to be a matter-of-fact sort of fellow. Straightforward. No-nonsense. To the point. As senior vice president and senior development director of the Howard Research and Development Corp., an affiliate of the Rouse Co., and the man who helped oversee the maturing of Columbia, he still feels wonderment and a tinge of hindsight when a new community comes to life. Two weeks ago, while joining Emerson's first residents as they celebrated their move-in day, he gazed through their pristine kitchen window and said: "I priced all the lots, and I'm always amazed once you get in the house how you can see so much more.

From: Pat WolfeWoodbineI attended the public meeting at Glenelg High School on June 5. Iwas shocked to find developers and farmers with potential development interests serving on the Residential Land Use Study Commission.This council-appointed commission was charged with the task of exploring further forms of development of rural Western Howard County. The County Council surely could have found citizens in western Howard County with less bias than the current panel to perform this most important task.

When Theodore F. Mariani tried to talk about cluster zoning conceptsin western Howard County four months ago, he was nearly hooted off the stage by a standing-room only crowd.Last week, he was able to speak without interruption for 45 minutes as he presented to the County Council and county executive the final report from the Rural Residential Land Use Study Commission.This time, the room was nearly empty as Mariani summarized the commission's recommendations that the county continue to support and strengthen its agricultural land preservation program, and that clusterzoning in the General Plan be refined and implemented.

Viral meningitis was diagnosed in a fourth-grade western Howard County student this week, but no other cases have been reported at the girl's school or in the surrounding community, Howard County school officials said yesterday.The West Friendship Elementary School student's illness appeared unrelated to another case of meningitis discovered a week before at a western Howard County high school. That case was the bacterial form of the infection.The unidentified girl -- who had flulike symptoms and nausea -- had not attended West Friendship for a week before the #F diagnosis Tuesday, said Patti Caplan, a school spokeswoman.

The Howard County school system is one step closer to building the much-needed 400-seat addition at Glenelg High School. The Maryland Department of the Environment informed school officials last week that it has decided to issue a permit for the high school's proposed wastewater treatment facility that will accommodate the addition - despite concerns of a few residents over possible contamination of drinking water in western Howard County. "The permit is fully protective of public health and state groundwater quality standards," MDE stated in a notice of final determination.

Msgr. Robert Albert Bozel, a retired pastor of a Howard County parish recalled for his voluminous correspondence with friends and members of his congregation, died of pneumonia Saturday at Stella Maris Hospice. He was 88. Born in Baltimore and raised in Hamilton, he attended St. Dominic's School. "He was from a large family that included vocations to the religious life," said a friend, Msgr. George B. Moeller of Timonium. "He was a warm and personable guy who tried to spread that happiness.

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6578. Football Western Howard County Warhawks The Western Howard County Warhawks 8-10 Centennial football team ended an undefeated regular season with wins in the league Super Bowl Championship and the Maryland Youth Football State Championship game.

The chance to confront Howard County Executive Ken Ulman face-to-face with their festering complaints brought a standing room-crowd of more than 200 people last week to a public forum at Glenwood Community Center in western Howard County. "Isn't it fun being county exe cutive?" Hugh Flaherty asked to laughter as he rose to speak about one of the two issues that brought the majority of the crowd out Thursday night - a proposed used-car lot in rural Daisy, in far western Howard County. The other major topic was the failed septic system at the Villas at Cattail Creek, where construction is soon to begin on a new system.

The Howard County Conservancy is searching for friends and former students of Ruth and Frances Brown, longtime Howard County schoolteachers who lived at Mount Pleasant Farm on Old Frederick Road in Woodstock. The farmhouse is now the site of the conservancy's headquarters. The Brown sisters designated the 232-acre farm for preservation. It is now a land trust and environmental education center. Those who knew the Browns are invited to meet from 10 a.m. to noon March 3 or 7 at the farm, 10520 Old Frederick Road, to share memories, photographs and other memorabilia for a conservancy project intended to preserve the Browns' legacy.

The Western Howard County Democratic Club will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Old Frederick Road, Woodstock, the club's new meeting location. Bill Chestnut of the Vote Smart Project will speak. Information: 301-854-6507, or e-mail robicl@comcast.net. Student to speak about his first novel College sophomore Drew Bowling will speak about the publication of his first novel The Tower of Shadows, which he began writing in high school, at 7 p.m. March 6 at the Glenwood library, 2350 Route 97, Cooksville.

Though Republicans won all three legislative seats and the County Council race in far western Howard County, the celebratory champagne was flowing for the Western Howard County Democratic Club at a gathering last week at the Glenwood library. Members of the seven-month-old club are delighted at the Democrats' successes elsewhere in the county and countywide -- notably in the county executive race. And they are tantalized by their chances for making inroads in western Howard, the only part of the county where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats.

From: Natalie C. YopconkaColumbiaIn response to "What's Your Opinion?": What should Howard County officials do to encourage the development of moderate-income housing?(They should) set up stable housing and apartment developments that are safe, secure places to live for middle-aged professionally oriented, single-career females. This area has been completely ignored thus far. Consequently, bugs, trash, etc. characterize Columbia developments.Also, control of dust and debris during construction and green life that promotes human allergies have been ignored.

There's no denying that development is killing off farmland in western Howard County. But the political power of the Howard County Farm Bureau is hardly dead.Witness the County Council meeting Monday night, where Chairman Charles C. Feaga -- the only farmer on the council -- retreated from plans to repeal a 1912 fence law written when farm property was a key issue in Howard.The western Howard County Republican, who raises Black Angus beef cattle, told fellow council members that the law is outdated, but he conceded, "I do see a 440-member Farm Bureau group out there that wholeheartedly supports it."

The Howard County Bird Club will sponsor a field trip to Alpha Ridge Park and Landfill in Marriottsville to look for sparrows and early winter arrivals at 8 a.m. Saturday. Rare birds can sometimes be seen at the landfill. The trip involves moderate to difficult walking through the fields; boots are recommended. The group will meet at Alpha Ridge Park, on the south side of Route 99, about a mile west of Marriottsville Road. Beginners are welcome, and there is no cost. Information: 410-461-3361 or http:--www.

County Executive James N. Robey and officials of Howard County's Department of Citizen Services' Office on Aging and Department of Recreation and Parks will be on hand for the opening and ribbon-cutting for the Glenwood Community Center in western Howard County. The event will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 31 at 2400 Route 97. The center, in the Western Regional Park, next to the Glenwood branch library, includes large activity rooms and classrooms for fine arts and crafts, continuing education, computer training, dance, exercise and meetings.